What is one of the benefits of data encryption pertaining to security?

One of the benefits of data encryption is that it provides security for data while being stored and transported. Encryption transforms readable data into an encoded format that can only be deciphered with the appropriate decryption key. This ensures that even if unauthorized individuals gain access to the data, they cannot interpret it or use it.

For data at rest, encryption protects sensitive information in environments such as databases or file systems, safeguarding it from potential breaches. Similarly, while data is in transit, such as during transmission over networks, encryption secures it against interception, helping to maintain confidentiality and integrity. This is critical for protecting sensitive information from cyber threats and ensuring compliance with regulations regarding data protection.

In contrast, increasing data processing speed, enabling easier data access, and reducing data storage requirements are not direct benefits of encryption. In fact, encryption can add some overhead to processing times due to the additional steps required for encoding and decoding the data. Additionally, encryption does not inherently provide ease of access; it requires proper key management and authentication processes to allow access to authorized users. Storage requirements may also not be notably reduced since the encrypted data can sometimes be larger than its unencrypted counterpart.